I’d just stepped off stage after a recent speaking engagement when I spotted a young woman waiting off to the side to exchange a few words. Beyond delivering my intended talk, I always look forward to organically connecting with those in attendance.
“If I could ask your advice on one thing, Pauleanna, how can I become a ghostwriter?”
Since starting my ghostwriting agency, I’ve probably gotten asked a variation of this question at least once a week. And to be fair, I never get tired of answering it. As one of the few Black ghostwriters in the industry, I’m always ready to get more of us in the room and at the table. But, while it’s not the answer I’m sure inquiring minds are looking for, my response to this question has never changed in my decade-long career: just write.
Each time I offer up those two simple words, I’m always met with a momentary look of confusion; and this time was no different. But I’m not surprised. As earnest as they are, I’m also sure that they’re hoping I meet their questions with some elaborate answer, equipped with a step-by-step strategy on exactly how I did it. But, there’s nothing out of the ordinary or even extraordinary about how I got here.
Truth be told, this was the very answer I got from my mentor when I first met her in 2009. I was a wide-eyed, aspiring best-selling author, and at the very first chance I got, I posed that very same question to her. I admit her answer gave me pause since, at 21 years old, “Just write,” lacked the extravagance I associated with being a famous writer.
But she was right.
As a student-athlete, I’d spent most of my days training. Whether it was swimming laps at 5am before school, or running laps on weekends with my father, he never missed an opportunity to tell me, “Get your reps in.” I’ve spoken about this in previous blogs, but the lesson is truly evergreen. The persistence I needed long before I stepped up to the edge of the pool on competition day was honed each morning prior in that empty community pool. It was boring, it was tedious, but it shaped the athlete I knew I needed to be to succeed. And that’s exactly what my mentor was trying to teach me.
So, I started writing. Anything. I started my blog and used it as my personal daily diary. Every day, I sat at my computer and poured my most creative ideas into it. I didn’t care if I had 12 or 1200 monthly viewers, the goal was to “get my reps in.”
Long before the world had read a single word of mine, I was creating a space where, when opportunity did come knocking, I had a portfolio ready to wow them. And that’s exactly what happened. While I was busy blogging, my mentor was taking notice. Beyond the diversity of content I now had under my belt, I’d also shown her that I was not only passionate, but I was consistent.
A year later, she quite literally changed my life when she recommended me for an opportunity that kickstarted my career as a journalist.
Was it fun or even easy? Of course not. Pouring hours into your craft without the surety that it will work out is the sacrifice we make to get where we believe we’re meant to be. I’m sure it’s easy to dismiss advice like this because that’s exactly what I almost did. But somewhere along the way, I grew to recognize the invaluable lesson that was buried amongst the (extra) work.
Over the years, I’ve passed on this advice to countless aspiring writers who, I’ll be honest, have never followed up or even committed to the advice I’ve given them. And I get it. It’s boring, it’s not fun, but it does build the tenacity you need to display on the day opportunity comes knocking. And trust me, it will.
Don’t wait until the end of the season to start preparing for the championship game. When the work feels monotonous, down right boring, and sometimes far from worth it, it’s that drive that will get you noticed long before you’ve ever stepped into the room. Like they say, “luck is actually when preparation meets opportunity,” so conquer the boring stuff, and start creating some career-shifting moments of your own today.
A BIT ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Pauleanna Reid. I’m the founder and chief storyteller at WritersBlok where I lead an all-women of color team of celebrity ghostwriters. As a collective, we help industry leaders and doers who are shaping the future turn their personal stories into brand assets so they can stay relevant in a noisy world, communicate to their audience at scale, and turn any conversation into a meaningful and profitable lead. Clients truly trust me with their reputations and their legacies. In fact, when they want to speak up on a hot topic and shake the room, I’m the woman they call. Many of them have me on speed dial, why don’t you?